Author Topic: Blister treatment  (Read 17001 times)

captain paranoia

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Re: Blister treatment
« Reply #30 on: September 27, 2013, 01:32:34 PM »
> I have heard very good reports on Tesco own-brand "Sterile Blister Plaster" apparently they are thinner than the others

I've been handing out Lidl's hydrocolloid blister plasters recently*, as they're 69p for three fairly large plasters**.  They're a lot thinner than Compeed.  What I did notice is that they seemed to wrinkle at the edges when applied to the edge and heel of the foot, and it concerned me that these wrinkles will themselves cause blisters.  I need to follow up to find out how well they worked, perhaps.

* see; not using duct tape... ;-)

** oddly, they had some in one of their 'specials' offers, that were actually more expensive than the ones in their standard plaster display.  They came in a plastic case, though, rather than a cardboard packet.

Skills4Survival

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Re: Blister treatment
« Reply #31 on: September 27, 2013, 11:37:34 PM »
All,

Just want to share what my experience is. Having walked distances over 50 miles on sneakers, more sturdy leather walking boots and class C gore-tex boots over the past 20 years. Not saying you then know what to do (some people never learn things) but that is my reference.

- for my on the road long distance. I have no discpline in hardening the soles of my foot and bridge the gap of office feet to hiker feet. I have me feet tapes with the small, about 1cm Leukeplast tape, like schingles, nice and neat. Whole foot, including the heel and up. I have it done on the first aid place, takes them about 25 minutes for both feet.
- AFter that I powder the whole thing with feet powder (either you enjoy the smell of menthol or you just use the plain powder. It keeps them dry and ensures it does not stick to the socks.
- smaller distance I tape the front of my foot to half way and powder.
- ensure tape does not curl, so schingle it right, curles give blisters at some point, specially with thinner socks.
- Socks, quality socks like bridgedale hiker, smartwool (think it is merino wool or a modern mix solution). They are worth there money.
- I change socks every 20km, or less, certainly if I am going far (or very hot, or path is very uneven which gives additional friction, having more dry feet enables you to take a bit more friction without getting blisters), I also re-powder them. If the weather is good I hang the old socks on the outside, dry them and re-use them. When hiking I wash them and dry them, either in my sleeping bag or via fire solution.
- This taping can take quite some blisters without really having a problem with it.
- If I have a blister under the tape and it got the chance to fill up too much I use a blood lancet to go right through the tape and blister or, I just brake it by walking on it (which sucks of course)
- For bigger blisters I would have to remove the tape, or part of it.  It needs TLCT (tender, love, care and time).
- I tend to use thicker socks because it just gives more comfort.
- I experimented with two socks (very very thin liner and a medium thick sock). This has to advantages in theory. One..the liner is meant to re-route moist away from the other sock and second your friction is between the two socks and not directly wth the food bed. With both solution I managed to walk 50 miles with not any significant size blister.
- nails ...short
- if your toes are not straight and rub against eachother, there is special lube to help.
- make sure the hard skin is not removed but smoothened with a file.
- if tape does not stick, use some white spirit to activate the glue.
- I do tie my lashes after half an hour walk, ANYTHINK bothering me, the slightest thin..needs to be resoved, any annoyning feeling needs to be removed...it will ALWAYS come back and greet you later.
- I used to use sporttape (the stuff you use to prevent injuries, or if you have one, for additional support. This is okay but taking it off with a blister will possible damage the whole thing majorly. I have not used that im many years. 
- Take care of any small blister as if was your new born, ensuring you do not get big ones.

last time I had blisters in other areas. feet never a problem.

BTW, all of this is useless once you buy yourself shoes which are to small, or too big, in length and width. Buy them with the sock solution you want to use, stick to what works, every time.

Ivo

adi

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Re: Blister treatment
« Reply #32 on: September 28, 2013, 01:23:17 PM »
I've been on one short first aid course.
I am most certainly not an expert.
The instructor did recommend using duct tape.
I've asked him if he can provide any clinical trials of duct tape for first aid use, and no, he cannot, merely what has worked for emergency medical teams, civil and military.

I am not an exert ether, however I have worked for medical teams too, including manning ambulances during the national ambulance strike. But that is irreverent because medicine is all about the current protocols. First aid is the first tear of those protocol's.     

I'm not in the least bit emotive about the issue, but I am very much a pragmatist; "if it's stupid and it works, it isn't stupid".

> When actually all first aid instructors should be teaching the same protocols.

Well, there's first aid and there's first aid, and they're not always the same, Really?  so I'm not surprised that different things are being taught, depending on the intended deployed environment.  What is applicable in an office environment with a large, well-stocked first aid kit will be different from what is applicable in the wilds with a more limited (due to practicalities of carrying the thing) FAK Yeap I would agree to that somewhat, however a personal FAK is a personal FAK nothing more, If you are leading groups then you would need a larger group FAK, which meets the legal requirements for a FAK.  A good example being CPR advice; urban FA 'best practice' is now not to breathe for the casualty (hence the BHF Vinny Jones advert "you only kiss your missus on the lips"), whereas remote FA advice is to continue breathing for the casualty, since it will be longer than the 8 minute target for an ambulance and paramedics to arrive. It is a good example of too little knowledge being damn right dangerous, anyone that teaches this without proper explanation needs to be dragged in front of their faculty and made to explain why they are teaching outside the protocols.  I will come back to this in a separate thread A recent TV programme allowed two military medics to compare their small, personal FAKs, See thats the key word Personal Fak, you can put what you like in your personal FAK and they were different (and carried things unlikely to be required in a walker's FAK, such as tourniquet devices).  And a lot smaller than the large medic's more comprehensive backpack.

And there's also the issue that even things that are clinically tested and found to have adverse reactions are still used; drug side-effects, allergies to latex and zinc oxide, and even micropore tape.  And yet we knowingly use these items, and even suggest them as 'best practice'.

I'd actually suggest that blister treatment isn't really first aid at all, but palliative treatment...  In most cases, blister treatment is intended to allow someone to continue their activity, whereas the 'best practice medical advice' would be to stop whatever it is that's causing the damage; i.e. cease the activity.  "Doctor, it hurts when I <insert activity here>" "Well, stop doing it, then..."
"We do not belong to those who only get their thought from books, or at the prompting of books - it is our custom to think in the open air, walking, leaping, climbing or dancing, of lonesome mountains by preference, or close to the sea, where even the paths become thoughtful." Friedrich Nietzsche

adi

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Re: Blister treatment
« Reply #33 on: September 28, 2013, 01:24:48 PM »
I've been on one short first aid course.
I am most certainly not an expert.
The instructor did recommend using duct tape.
I've asked him if he can provide any clinical trials of duct tape for first aid use, and no, he cannot, merely what has worked for emergency medical teams, civil and military.

I am not an exert ether, however I have worked for medical teams too, including manning ambulances during the national ambulance strike. But that is irreverent because medicine is all about the current protocols. First aid is the first tear of those protocol's.     

I'm not in the least bit emotive about the issue, but I am very much a pragmatist; "if it's stupid and it works, it isn't stupid".

> When actually all first aid instructors should be teaching the same protocols.

Well, there's first aid and there's first aid, and they're not always the same, Really?  so I'm not surprised that different things are being taught, depending on the intended deployed environment.  What is applicable in an office environment with a large, well-stocked first aid kit will be different from what is applicable in the wilds with a more limited (due to practicalities of carrying the thing) FAK Yeap I would agree to that somewhat, however a personal FAK is a personal FAK nothing more, If you are leading groups then you would need a larger group FAK, which meets the legal requirements for a FAK.  A good example being CPR advice; urban FA 'best practice' is now not to breathe for the casualty (hence the BHF Vinny Jones advert "you only kiss your missus on the lips"), whereas remote FA advice is to continue breathing for the casualty, since it will be longer than the 8 minute target for an ambulance and paramedics to arrive. It is a good example of too little knowledge being damn right dangerous, anyone that teaches this without proper explanation needs to be dragged in front of their faculty and made to explain why they are teaching outside the protocols.  I will come back to this in a separate thread A recent TV programme allowed two military medics to compare their small, personal FAKs, See thats the key word Personal Fak, you can put what you like in your personal FAK and they were different (and carried things unlikely to be required in a walker's FAK, such as tourniquet devices).  And a lot smaller than the large medic's more comprehensive backpack.

And there's also the issue that even things that are clinically tested and found to have adverse reactions are still used; drug side-effects, allergies to latex and zinc oxide , and even micropore tape.  And yet we knowingly use these items, and even suggest them as 'best practice'. It is a recommendation that Latex and zinc oxide are not used and replaced where possible, They are not best practice. Zinc Oxide does not generally cause an allergic reaction but a chemical burn. over time the compound has been changed to make it a lot safer.

I'd actually suggest that blister treatment isn't really first aid at all, but palliative treatment...  In most cases, blister treatment is intended to allow someone to continue their activity, whereas the 'best practice medical advice' would be to stop whatever it is that's causing the damage; i.e. cease the activity.  "Doctor, it hurts when I <insert activity here>" "Well, stop doing it, then..."
« Last Edit: September 28, 2013, 02:02:38 PM by adi »
"We do not belong to those who only get their thought from books, or at the prompting of books - it is our custom to think in the open air, walking, leaping, climbing or dancing, of lonesome mountains by preference, or close to the sea, where even the paths become thoughtful." Friedrich Nietzsche